Lunch with Brady Hoke: Tastes Like Chicken

So Brady Hoke had a luncheon in Grand Rapids and decided to voice his displeasure over Notre Dame cancelling the Michigan series. More precisely, he claimed the Irish were “chickening out” of the series, much to the delight of the audience.

Hoke’s insertion of his foot into his mouth is simply begging for analysis ridicule as is this entire article, so let’s just get to it.

Brady Hoke has long trumpeted Michigan’s three primary rivalries against Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Hoke is now entering his third season as the Skunkbears’ head coach. How does one “long trumpet” anything when they haven’t even eclipsed Ty Willingham’s tenure at ND?

If two years is a long period of time for Michigan, I think I understand why some rather obvious history is soon to be forgotten.

But now he’s losing one of them, at least for a time. And he’s clearly not happy about it.

“The Notre Dame game, that rivalry, which they’re chickening out of,” Hoke said Monday during the West Michigan Sports Commission Annual Luncheon at the J.W. Marriott in Grand Rapids.

The remark drew thunderous applause from the crowd.

Ok, fair enough, he’s angry, playing to a home crowd. Let’s see how he justifies this…

“They’re still gonna play Michigan State, they’re gonna play Purdue, but they don’t want to play Michigan”

Well, yeah, we are trying to, but that isn’t exactly certain right now.

You see, Hoke, your B1G commissioner decided to do this whole nine conference game thing that is kinda screwing up everyone’s schedule. Combine that with ND’s new ACC scheduling agreement and, surprise, there are some issues.

Want to know why we are trying to work around that with Sparty and Purdue? Some history for you, long trumpeter: Notre Dame and Michigan State have played 75 times, and only took 1995 and 1996 off since 1948. Notre Dame and Purdue have played 84 times, uninterrupted since 1946.

But Michigan? Oh, we’ll get to that in a bit.

Spoiler alert: Michigan has been a pain in the ass.

“I don’t know how they made that decision…

I don’t either, there is totally no history behind why we might decide to give Michigan the finger. NOPE, NONE AT ALL.

… I really do …

Wait, what?!

Hoke had to have done a shot mid-sentence or something. Or no one has the complete quote…you know what, I like my first idea better. Go home, Hoke, you’re drunk.

But anyway, that’s a great national rivalry game. It’s a great game.”

I’d argue it’s a regional rivalry, and really, I have a hard time saying it’s a rivalry because, let’s be honest, we both hate each other and each consider another school a bigger rival.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of just what this series means to you and why all of us under the Dome are running away scared. I’m sure your beat writer will help you out…

Michigan has played Notre Dame 40 times, including every season since 2002.

..or maybe he’ll prove my point for me.

Michigan has treated us to three separate gaps in the past. After the 1909 game, we didn’t play Michigan again until 1942. After 1943, we didn’t face off again until 1978. Finally, we had a smaller two year gap between the 1999 and 2002 contests.

That’s 70 years total of scheduling gaps if you are keeping score at home. Or, to put it another way, Michigan has avoided playing Notre Dame for 56% of our 125 year football existence.

But man, uninterrupted since 2002 after these Michigan scheduling disruptions. How dare we.

But the Irish last year cancelled their games against Michigan from 2015-17, as they make the move to a scheduling alliance with the ACC.

ND, the dastardly villain, ditching the history of the Michigan series, chickening out for their new ACC friends.

The rivalry already was scheduled to take a two-year hiatus in 2018-19.

Small addendum: Michigan did that. That brings to the total to four different occasions in which Michigan, not Notre Dame, messed with the scheduling of the series.

Here’s the kicker: all Notre Dame has done so far is cancel two games — the exact same amount that Michigan already canned. But yeah, go ahead and blame us for chickening out on the whole thing. Solid logic there.

So, Michigan will host Notre Dame for the final time — at least, for the foreseeable future…

Now we’ve entered WWE-style promotion/hyberbole: “THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN…”

“…UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN!”

– in prime time this year, then conclude the series next year in South Bend.

Notre Dame: chickening out…three years in the future.

The teams had been operating under a three-year rolling contract — meaning, either program could cancel the series with three games’ notice. Notre Dame served Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon with that notice in the moments leading up to kickoff of last year’s game at Notre Dame Stadium.

You mean to tell me Swarbrick did something within the terms of the contract? Man, we are truly awful.

Michigan State and Purdue are scheduled to continue their rivalries with Notre Dame, at least for now. Although, the Big Ten’s new nine-game schedule, and Notre Dame’s ties to the ACC, could also make those games more difficult to play.

And we’ve now come full circle. The B1G and ACC scheduling restrictions could make the MSU and Purdue series difficult to continue.

But the Michigan series? NOPE NO POSSIBLE ISSUES, CHICKENING OUT.

In conclusion, to Hoke and any other Michigan fan pissed off about this:

Friday Roundup: The “Different Kind of Hate” Edition

Yes, yes, it’s Notre Dame vs Boston College, the Holy War, the Order of the Holy Cross vs the Jesuits, slapping Fredo across the face, or whatever else you want to call it.

We definitely don’t consider BC a true rival by any means; in fact, I wrote about this last season. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t find it in our hearts to hate them.

Quite frankly we owe BC a beatdown of epic proportions. Not just to impress voters, but for 1993 and 2002.

It doesn’t matter that the Eagles are one of the worst teams in college football right now. I guarantee some of their “super fans” (can you really have that nickname when your tickets find their way on Groupon annually?), despite many of them already writing this season off, would love for nothing more than to spoil Irish title hopes with yet another embarrassing loss.

Think about it. Notre Dame had to wait for almost a decade to exact undefeated revenge for 1993 and failed in 2002. Here we are again a decade later and BC has a chance to do it to us yet again.

We can’t let it happen again. Notre Dame is the team wins “what though the odds”. Fredo doesn’t get to take over the Corleon Empire.

And you know, Fredo has never been a more perfect comparison that Boston College than right now. At 2-7, Boston College is much like Fredo after his plot to kill Michael fails. They are completely despondent, practically banished, their existence barely recognized, and are practically forgotten.

But like Michael, we may try to ignore them, but we don’t really ever forget. 1993 and 2002 still happened and the memory still stings no matter how much we try to push it aside.

We will not forgive, we will seek retribution. When the national spotlight of ABC shines on this sibling rivalry, we will send them out into the middle of the lake for their execution and unceremoniously dump the body overboard.

It won’t be for justice. It might not even be for vengeance.

But we are sure as hell are going to sleep better at night when its done.

The Roundup

Not having so many good nights of sleep these days, Lane Kiffin. The wheels on the USC bus aren’t just deflating, they are flying off and the driver is to blame.

Get Heisman candidate, put him on…defense? I’m assuming this is a smoke screen because putting Marqise Lee in the defensive backfield makes little sense. Related, if this does happen, I want Kelly to implement a wildcat package with Manti at QB, complete with jersey changes so we don’t have two #5′s on the field, just to screw with Kiffykins.

Memo to Gene Chizik: If someone at Auburn wants to take you on a “fishing trip”, don’t.

And now, your moment of Leach… It was a normal presser, until the pirate just said to hell with it. After a nice diatribe, we got to see the kinder, gentler Leach. Yes, it’s as hilarious as it sounds.

By the way, if anyone thinks we were “lucky” against Pitt, deal with it.

Put These Games on Your Radar

#15 Texas A&M @ #1 Alabama – 3:30pm EST, CBS

Twibby’s Marquee Matchup of the Week

#2 Kansas State @ TCU – 7:00pm EST, FOX

The big story here will be whether or not Heisman favorite Collin Klein can play. After suffering what definitely appeared to be a concussion (Synder has been playing quite coy with this), there could be a decent chance that he is out of this game. If he is, TCU has a good enough defense unit to keep them in this game and pull a potential upset just as they did against West Virginia last week

#3 Oregon @ Cal – 10:30pm EST, ESPN/WatchESPN

I’m mentioning this game only to say this: don’t count on a duck slip up here.

#11 Oregon State @ #14 Stanford – 3:00pm EST, FOX

Easily the best matchup outside the title favorites of the day. Not to mention, this game could seriously affect ND as well. Should the Cardinal win, that will only make ND’s already strong SOS even stronger

Predictions

Tex

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

ND 38 – BC 3

Biscuit

Leprechauns. I have been pretty damn good considering when I made those.

BC and their HC Spaz-man are in a similar spot, in start from scratch rebuilding mode.  This one will be ugly by the 2nd half.

ND Wins 37-9

3 Leprechauns!

Bayou

There’s only one legit challenge in Chestnut Hill: The Cowabunga Burger at the Eagles Deli.

This year’s version of the football Eagles are a waste of space. The Irish are away (good), humbled (better) and probably know that they have to hang a ton of points on BC to stay “relevant” (ha!) to the BCS title conversation (best). Lingering missteps by the Irish O make this one closer than it should be. BC can’t move the ball against the Irish D and get their points via two late field goals.

ND 49 – BC 6

Twibby

Irish 38 – Eagles 6

Grantland-X

Notre Dame 44 – BC 3

Closest to the Pin – Week 9

Well, last week wasn’t pretty and some of us got really confident about a large Irish victory. Biscuit though has been riding his leprechauns for most of the season and they led him to victory once again. Honorable mention goes to Bayou for mentioning that all hell could break loose (but I award you no points).

Name	Weeks Won
Bayou	3
Biscuit	3
Tex	1
Twibby	1
Grantland-X	1

The Beer

Well, considering that we are invading Boston, Sam Adams seems a logical choice I mean, sure it might be a bit lazy, but uh…

/looks at clock

/sees its past 2am

/is really damn tired

Sam Adams it is!

After Further Review, Notre Dame is Still Undefeated

Seven years ago, ESPN College Game Day rolled into campus as a resurgent Irish took on a ranked team from California. That game ended in controversy as Matt Leinart’s QB sneak looked to have been stuffed — until Reggie Bush shoved him into the endzone.

Seven years later, those demons were exorcised and the Irish came out on top with a controversial call going in their favor for a change.

Although, that call doesn’t seem to be all too controversial as it definitely looks like Stepfan Taylor’s elbow was down after the whistle blew anyways. But let’s assume the PAC 12 refs blew it. Let’s assume that Stanford got screwed.

I don’t care.

You know what all Irish fans heard after the Bush Push? That we should’ve stopped the Trojans on 4th and 9 and that goal line play would’ve been a non-factor. As much as the thought of the Bush Push alone makes me furious, that is beyond fair to say.

Hell, let’s move past the Bush Push. Ask David Grimes how much pity he has for Taylor.

Remember “Little Giants”? Of course we do. Remember the play clock was at zero well before the snap? You bet we do.

Now David Shaw wants to cry foul and I’m supposed to feel bad? I don’t think so.

Phantom whistles had nothing to do with the Stanford defense failing to stop a Tommy Rees game tying drive after Golson was knocked out of the game. There were no forward progress judgements that needed to be made when Rees then led a TD drive to open OT. The refs didn’t miss the first Stanford field goal attempt. A misplaced spot after a review wasn’t the reason Stanford’s only TD came on the combo of an Everett Golson fumble and a poor Brian Kelly play call in ND’s own endzone.

Were Josh Nunes’ two INTs also the caused by controversy? Did the officials give Tyler Eifert a boost on his jumping TD catch?

I don’t think so.

The bottom line is that Notre Dame is 6-0, ranked #5 in both the coaches’ and AP polls, and sit #5 in the BCS no matter how much whining comes from Palo Alto.

It’s not like we should really expect anything different. After all, Stanford manged to allow one of the most famous plays in college football history that also contained its fair share of controversy.

Guess what? Cal still won that game too.

In short: